Description
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Title: Woman of Rome (1954)
Alternate Title: La romana
Genre: Drama
Plot Synopsis: Set during the Fascist era in Italy, Adriana, a beautiful yet impoverished young woman, begins her journey as an artist’s model. After a deceitful love affair leaves her heartbroken, she turns to prostitution. Amidst her struggles, she encounters Mino, an anti-Fascist partisan who falls deeply in love with her and seeks to help her find redemption.
Cast and Crew:
- Director: Luigi Zampa
- Writers: Alberto Moravia (novel), Luigi Zampa, Giorgio Bassani, Ennio Flaiano
- Cast:
- Gina Lollobrigida as Adriana
- Daniel Gélin as Mino
- Franco Fabrizi as Gino
- Raymond Pellegrin as Astarita
- Pina Piovani as Adriana’s Mother
IMDb Link: Woman of Rome (1954)
Reviews from Letterboxd:
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Adrian ☕ – ★★★★ “La Romana is a drama with some romance and crime elements. It follows a woman who just tries to be nice, but due to unfortunate circumstances, ends up falling victim to all the men in her life.”
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Bruce Rogers – ★★★☆☆ “Gina Lollobrigida has to contend with every asshat in Rome until she can find the worst to be fully brokenhearted.”
Meta Description: “Woman of Rome” (1954), directed by Luigi Zampa, is an Italian drama that portrays the life of Adriana, a young model turned prostitute during Italy’s Fascist era. The film explores themes of love, betrayal, and the quest for redemption.
Title: Hakuchi: The Innocent (1999)
Alternate Title: 白痴
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, War
Plot Synopsis:
Set in an alternate reality where World War II persists, Japan endures relentless nightly bombings, leaving the nation in ruins. Amidst the devastation, the Media Station stands as the sole surviving structure, serving as the central hub for all of Japan’s entertainment. The story follows Isawa, an assistant director at the Media Station, who becomes entangled in the propagandist machinery that fuels the ongoing war. As he navigates the morally ambiguous landscape of media manipulation, Isawa encounters Sayo, a mute woman, and Ginga, a mysterious performer. Through these relationships, he confronts themes of love, truth, and the pervasive influence of media in a war-torn society.
Cast and Crew:
- Director: Makoto Tezuka
- Writers: Ango Sakaguchi (novel), Makoto Tezuka (screenplay)
- Cast:
- Tadanobu Asano as Isawa
- Miyako Koda as Sayo
- Reika Hashimoto as Ginga
- Masao Kusakari as Kogarashi
- Shunji Fujimura as The Tailor
IMDb Link:
Hakuchi: The Innocent (1999)
Reviews from Letterboxd:
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Stanley Luk – ★★★☆☆
“Pretty damn ridiculous. Not unlike what Obayashi has been doing by re-engaging war memories by way of hyper-stylised artifice, but Makoto Tezuka’s own additional flair lies in his baffling retro-futuristic repositioning of Ango Sakaguchi’s short story into the realms of sci-fi and surrealism.” -
Lee ॐ मणि पद्मे हूँ – ★★★★☆
“Love in the time of war, all hail the new flesh, to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die etc etc etc etc etc.”
Meta Description:
“Hakuchi: The Innocent” (1999), directed by Makoto Tezuka, is a Japanese drama-fantasy film set in an alternate reality where World War II never ended. The narrative centers on Isawa, an assistant director at the Media Station, the sole surviving building in a bomb-ravaged Japan, exploring themes of media manipulation, love, and the quest for truth in a dystopian society.
Title: No Voice Over (1986)*
Genre: Experimental Film, Queer Cinema
Plot Synopsis:
This tape explores the deep bond between three women artists, who communicate through audio and video recordings while traveling to Italy, Brazil, and Texas. Their off-screen connection to a producer, Dix-Ten, adds another layer to their journey. One woman experiences unsettling visions about another, which seem to carry an ominous warning. As the tape unfolds, these premonitions take on new meaning, culminating in the revelation of one woman’s tragic fate.
Cast and Crew:
- Director: Colin Campbell
IMDb Link:
No Voice Over (Short)
*not on Archive Blu
